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Bolin: NHL Preseason Power Poll

Eric W. Bolin has been a sports reporter for the Times Record since October 2012. He covers sports, focusing on Northside High School. A native of Stilwell, Okla., Eric came to Fort Smith after working three years at ESPN. He is a graduate of Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Okla., and holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication.

Friends, Fort Smithians, countrymen, the National Hockey League regular season is almost upon us.

We are few in number in Southeastern Conference territory. We can be difficult to spot to the untrained eye. Oh, but I have seen you, dear like-minded companions. Stickers affixed to the back glass of your Audis and Volkswagons, car tag frames ever so discreetly showing your pride.

Though we may have different favorites and differing reasons, the Southern Hockey Fan has immediate brother and sisterhood with his fellows. A mere eight days and sport most glorious will beckon us from our summer cocoons and back to the … uh, back to the front of the television, I guess, since it’s the only place we can get our fix.

Oh, enough with the flowery prose.

Let’s talk hockey.

Last season I consumed about 15 games per week. It’s not the pace at which I want to be this year, especially as there is a full 82-game slate on the docket. The wife and I broke down and finally ordered a satellite package — admittedly partly because she misses her programs and I wanted my hockey — so those 15 should, at least, double.

It’s the sport I most-closely follow. It’s the sport in which I take the most pride. I do have a favorite team and a favorite player, but most of the time, I couldn’t care less about the outcomes of the games. I simply enjoy the game.

That said, there are good teams and bad teams. Every Tuesday I’ll provide my weekly NHL Power Poll, because, let’s be honest, there are a few here in greater Fort Smith, like me, who want more hockey. Here it is.

NHL Preseason Power Poll

30. Calgary Flames — Not even Brian Burke can get this ship turned around in time to be a legitimate hockey team by the spring.

29. New Jersey Devils — All the goaltending in the world doesn’t mean a thing if you can’t score. Who’s going to put the puck in the net?

28. Colorado Avalanche — Joe Sakic is back! Patrick Roy is back! Nathan McKinnon is in tow! Problem is, only one of them will take the ice this year.

27. Florida Panthers — The Panthers are giving a tryout to a 40-year-old netminder. He’s a two-time Vezina Trophy winner and Conn Smythe winner, but, he also hasn’t played in a year.

26. Buffalo Sabres — Things will get better for owner Terrence Pegula. But this team will likely be peddling its two best players by St. Patrick’s Day.

25. Edmonton Oilers — They’re so fun to watch because they can score and score and score. They can also allow and allow and allow.

24. Winnipeg Jets — This may be a touch low for the Jets. A lot of teams can be envious of the top two lines. But is Ondrej Pavelec the answer in net?

23. Nashville Predators — The Devils of the West. There is no legitmate first-line player anywhere on the roster. The coaching is there. The goaltending is there. The offense is not.

22. Carolina Hurricanes — The ‘Canes’ season is contingent on Cam Ward and Cam Ward alone. They may have the best top line in the game, but when Ward went down last season, so did Carolina.

21. Tampa Bay Lightning — General manager Steve Yzerman gave a boatload of cash to career third-liner Valtteri Filppula. That sums up the Lightning philosophy.

20. Vancouver Canucks — This is the Canucks last best chance. A new coach but no new players. They need an injection of youth in a hurry or John Tortorella’s honeymoon will be short.

19. Dallas Stars — One of the biggest movers and shakers of the offseason, Dallas has found itself in no man’s land the last several seasons — not good enough to contend, not bad enough to get a great pick. That probably won’t change in Year One of the new regime.

18. Columbus Blue Jackets — The Blue Jackets are a decent hockey team with a solid goalie and great management. Things are brewing in Columbus, but a move to the East will hurt.

17. Phoenix Coyotes — No more questions about ownership! Well, that means the focus will be on how mediocre the on-ice product is. They could contend or they could fall off a cliff. Literally no one knows.

16. New York Islanders — Was last season a mirage? John Tavares is the real deal. Matt Moulson plays a good Robin to his Batman. I’m just not sure what else is there.

15. Minnesota Wild — Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, the two big-money stars the Wild brought in last year, took a while to mesh in the shortened season. Expect bigger and better this year.

14. Philadelphia Flyers — The roster is kind of a mess. The management is, too. And the reliance on Steve Mason and/or Ray Emery in goal leaves something to be desired. But it’s Philly. Something has to get better, right?

13. Toronto Maple Leafs — Last season was not a fluke. The Leafs are legitimately watchable now. The trade for Jonathan Bernier was curious, given James Reimer’s rising star. It could be more trouble than it was worth.

12. Montreal Canadiens — From last to first last year. The Habs will fall closer to the middle of the pack in 2013-14. They need center ice help in the worst way.

11. San Jose Sharks — The passing of the torch from the Big Three of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle has not yet come to pass. The Sharks are running short on time, but there is some fuel left in the tank.

10. Ottawa Senators — The first season without Mr. Senator himself, Daniel Alfredsson, since 1995 is going to take some getting used to. The Sens are no worse without him, though. Bobby Ryan will be a more-than-adequate replacement.

9. Anaheim Ducks — Victor Fasth or Jonas Hiller? They say you can’t have enough goaltending, but the over-reliance on the two-headed monster is troubling in Anaheim. Keeping Perry and Getzlaf is not.

8. Washington Capitals — They won’t get to snack on the cupcakes that were Southeast Division foes anymore in the new look East. But the Caps are a growing monster under coach Adam Oates.

7. New York Rangers — For everything that went wrong last year, I’m still not selling the Rangers. It’s easy not to when blue sweaters have the best goaltender in the world between the pipes every night.

6. St. Louis Blues — They were my pick to hoist the Stanley Cup last year. Clearly a year, at least, too early. But there is so much to like here with the grit, defense, netminding and scoring. Maybe the league’s most balanced team.

5. Los Angeles Kings — They simply ran into the buzz saw that was the Chicago Blackhawks last year. That’s all that kept them, for my money, from being back-to-back Cup champs.

4. Detroit Red Wings — It was really hard to believe in what the Red Wings were doing through 48 games last year. They snuck into the playoffs, though, and subsequently made a deep run. Typical Detroit hockey. Smart, skilled and tough.

3. Boston Bruins — Bruins. Penguins. Penguins. Bruins. It’s practically a pick ‘em for the Eastern Conference’s favorite. I have the Bs down, but by just a touch.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins — The Pens are the most loaded team in the world. They have the world’s best two players, arguably, and a cadre of All-Star supporters. Even the guys who’ve put together otherwise standard NHL careers become stars on this squad.